Tippecanoe County, Indiana

Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Tippecanoe County is located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana about 22 miles east of the Illinois state line and less than 50 miles from the Chicago and the Indianapolis metro areas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,251. The county seat and largest city is Lafayette. It was created in 1826 from Wabash County portion of New Purchase and unorganized territory.
Tippecanoe County was formed March 1, 1826, and named for the anglicization of "Kiteepihkwana", a Miami people term meaning "place of the buffalo fish people." The county is best known for Purdue University, the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, and the Tippecanoe County Courthouse, a structure built in 1881 and included in the National Register of Historic Places.
Tippecanoe County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The history of Tippecanoe County spans six distinct political and cultural periods: Native American lands from at least 8000BC, including the Mississippian culture, French occupation (part of New France beginning in the 1670s), British occupation starting in 1763, part of the United States Northwest Territory in 1787, part of Indiana Territory in 1800, and finally part of the State of Indiana in 1816. The political organization of the county began in 1826 by the act of the Indiana Legislature.
The first European explorers arrived in the 1670s and the first permanent settlement was Fort Ouiatenon by the French established in 1717. Lafayette was platted in 1825 and Purdue University founded in 1869.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.32%) is land and (or 0.68%) is water. The county's highest point is in the Lauramie Township.
Adjacent counties
White County (north)
Carroll County (northeast)
Clinton County (east)
Montgomery County (south)
Fountain County (southwest)
Warren County (west)
Benton County (northwest)
Communities
Cities
Lafayette
West Lafayette (home of Purdue University)
Towns
Battle Ground
Clarks Hill
Dayton
Otterbein (east half)
Shadeland
Census-designated places
Americus
Buck Creek (formerly Transitville)
Colburn (formerly Chapmanville)
Montmorenci (formerly Bringham's Grove)
Stockwell (formerly Lauramie)
West Point (formerly Middleton)
Other unincorporated places
Ash Grove
Cairo
Concord
Delp
Eastwich
Glen Hall
Monroe (formerly Huntersville)
Octagon
Odell
Old Halfway
Pettit
Romney (formerly Columbia)
Taylor
Extinct
Archerville
Beeville
Chauncey (consolidated into West Lafayette)
Corwin
Columbus
Cincinnatus
Clarksburg
Cleveland
Conroe
Erie
Florentine
Fulton (absorbed by Lafayette)
Gerard
Granville (aka Weaton)
Heath
Harrisonville (consolidated into Battle Ground)
Kingston (consolidated into West Lafayette)
LaGrange
Linwood (absorbed by Lafayette)
Little Chicago
Monitor (formerly Cynthyana)
New Market
North Crane
Oakland (absorbed by Lafayette)
Ouiatenon
Polk-White Corners
Prairieville
Sidney
South Raub
Sugar Grove
Sunberry
Texas
Wheeler's Grove
Wyandot
Yorktown
Townships
Fairfield
Jackson
Lauramie
Perry
Randolph
Sheffield
Shelby
Tippecanoe
Union
Wabash
Washington
Wayne
Wea
Climate and weather
In recent years, temperatures in Lafayette have ranged from an average low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from inches in February to inches in June.
Transportation
Highways
Interstate 65
U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 231
Indiana State Road 25
Indiana State Road 26
Indiana State Road 28
Indiana State Road 38
Indiana State Road 43
Indiana State Road 225
Railroads
Three different railroad lines intersect in Tippecanoe County, all running through the Lafayette area. CSX Transportation operates a north–south line; Norfolk Southern Railway operates a southwest-to-northeast line, and the Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad operates a daily-service line running from the northwest to the southeast.
The Amtrak Cardinal stops at the Lafayette Station 3 times a week, and is the only provider of passenger rail service to Greater Lafayette.
Airport
The county contains one public-use airport: Purdue University Airport (LAF) in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Government
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.
County Council: The county council is the fiscal branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. The county council and the board of commissioners share legislative authority. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.
Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.
Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.
Politics
In the 2008 Democratic primary, Tippecanoe County was one of 10 (out of 92) Indiana counties to give the majority of its votes to Barack Obama. In the 2008 Presidential election, Tippecanoe County was one of 15 Indiana counties to give the majority of its votes to Obama/Biden. Thanks to the sizable support of Purdue University students, Tippecanoe County played a pivotal role in Barack Obama's upset win in Indiana (49.9%-49.0%; 1,367,264 votes to 1,341,101 votes) by supporting the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama/Joe Biden 55.1%-43.5% over the Republican ticket of John McCain/Sarah Palin. However, in the 2020 Presidential election, Tippecanoe County also voted for Democrat Joe Biden by a margin of 436 votes, the first time since 2008 the county went for the Democrats.
Historically, Tippecanoe has been somewhat conservative for a county dominated by a college town. While most such counties swung hard to the Democrats in the 1990s Obama's win in 2008 was only the fourth time it went Democratic in a presidential election since 1888.
Tippecanoe County is one of only thirteen counties to have voted for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012, Trump in 2016, and Biden in 2020.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 172,780 people, 65,532 households, and 37,003 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 71,096 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.0% white, 6.2% Asian, 4.0% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 3.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.5% were German, 13.9% were Irish, 10.8% were English, and 6.1% were American.
Of the 65,532 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 43.5% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 27.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $60,367. Males had a median income of $45,018 versus $31,995 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,203. About 10.3% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schools in rural/suburban Tippecanoe County are administered by the Tippecanoe School Corporation, while those in the cities are under either the Lafayette School Corporation or West Lafayette Community School Corporation. Purdue and Ivy Tech each have campuses at other sites in Indiana.
Libraries
Tippecanoe County Public Library
West Lafayette Public Library
Universities and colleges
Purdue University
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
High Schools
TSC - Elston Alternative Education Center
LCSS - Lafayette Central Catholic Jr/Sr High School
LSC - Lafayette (city) Jefferson High School
LSC - Lafayette (city) Oakland High School
TSC - Lafayette (suburban—south) McCutcheon High School
WLCSC - West Lafayette (city) West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School
TSC - West Lafayette/Lafayette (suburban—north) Harrison High School
Middle Schools/Junior High Schools
Lafayette Sunnyside Middle School
Lafayette Tecumseh Junior High School
TSC (Harrison) Battle Ground Middle School
TSC (Harrison) East Tipp Middle School
TSC (Harrison) Klondike Middle School
TSC (McCutcheon) Southwestern Middle School
TSC (McCutcheon) Wainwright Middle School
TSC (McCutcheon) Wea Ridge Middle School
West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School
Elementary Schools
Lafayette Edgelea Elementary School
Lafayette Glen Acres Elementary School
Lafayette Miami Elementary School
Lafayette Miller Elementary School
Lafayette Murdock Elementary School
Lafayette (charter) New Community School
Lafayette Vinton Elementary School
TSC (Harrison) Battle Ground Elementary School
TSC (Harrison) Burnett Creek Elementary School
TSC (Harrison) Hershey Elementary School
TSC (Harrison) Klondike Elementary School
TSC (McCutcheon) Dayton Elementary School
TSC (McCutcheon) James Cole Elementary School
TSC (McCutcheon) Mayflower Mill Elementary School
TSC (McCutcheon) Mintonye Elementary School
TSC (McCutcheon) Wea Ridge Elementary School
TSC (McCutcheon) Woodland Elementary School
TSC (Harrison/McCutcheon) Wyandotte Elementary School
West Lafayette Cumberland Elementary School
Private Schools
Apostolic Christian Academy
Concord School
Faith Christian School
First Assembly Christian Academy
Highland Christian School k-8
Lafayette Catholic Schools k-12
Lafayette Christian School k-8
Lafayette Faith Baptist
Lighthouse Baptist Christian Academy
Pleasantview Christian School
St Boniface 4-6
St James Lutheran k-8
St Mary Cathedral Elementary K-3
Economy
Much of the economy of Tippecanoe County is centered in its two largest communities: Lafayette and West Lafayette. Purdue University is by far the largest employer in the county, but private industry and commerce independent of the university also employ many others. Major employers include Subaru-Indiana Automotive, Wabash National, Caterpillar, Fairfield Manufacturing, Franciscan Health Lafayette, Alcoa, State Farm, and Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital.
Notable people
Jesse Lloyd
See also
List of public art in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
National Register of Historic Places listings in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
Tippecanoe County official website
Tippecanoe County Public Library
Tippecanoe County Historical Association
Lafayette Online
Lafayette - West Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau
GIS (Geographic Information System) for Tippecanoe County
Lafayette Ski Club
Indiana counties
Indiana placenames of Native American origin
1826 establishments in Indiana
Populated places established in 1826
Lafayette metropolitan area, Indiana